Self-defence 101: What it means, and when it’s 'reasonable'

Tasleem Gierdien

Tasleem Gierdien

12 November 2025 | 11:03

Nthabiseng Dubazana of Dubazana Attorneys Incorporated explains the ins and outs of committing violence in self-defence.

Self-defence 101: What it means, and when it’s 'reasonable'

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Self-defence is a valid legal defence, but it is only successful if the force used was a reasonable and proportionate response to an unlawful and imminent attack.
Key requirements include an immediate threat, a reasonable belief in the need for defence, and the use of force no greater than necessary, directed at the attacker.
"Self-defence or private defence is wherein you're protecting yourself and another person who is in immediate or direct danger from another individual," explains Dubazana.

This applies not only to protecting your body but also extends to your property, including your home and car.

For example, while driving, you see someone trying to hijack you. If you're a licensed firearm holder, to protect yourself, you can pull out your firearm because you can see someone is trying to harm you with a weapon.
If you see someone else being attacked, you may protect that individual, with limitations. Dubazana asks: from what you observed, had you not stepped in to assist, would this person be in a worse-off position, or would they have been able to defend themselves?
Self-defence becomes unlawful when the force used is excessive, the threat is no longer imminent, or the defender initiates the confrontation. This includes using lethal force against a minor threat, attacking someone who is fleeing, or continuing to use force after the threat has been neutralised. It is also unlawful to act in pre-emptive self-defence based on mere fear without an immediate threat.
Dubazana cites an example of self-defence in her experience.
"This lady was in an abusive relationship, and it's been going on for some time. Her husband comes home, and she knows that when he comes home, he's going to start beating her. So, when he came home, she prepared herself, and when he started to attempt to assault her, he pushed her, and she fell to the ground. She stabbed him in the leg, and he bled to death. She was then charged with murder, and she used self-defence as her legal defence. The State said that at the time she was attacked, her husband did not actually start to beat her; he only pushed her, so retaliating with a knife is going beyond the limits or requirements of self-defence.
"She was able to show, as a result of the history she went through, that it was justified that she acted in that manner."
Things like the perpetrator's and victim's body types, mental states, stature and body strength can be considered and presented in a self-defence case.
The law has a lot of "howevers", warns Dubazana, and, ultimately, the law determines whether someone's self-defence response was "reasonable" in each case and circumstance.
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